Washing-machine



UNITED sTATEs PATENT onrioE,

HENRY GASSELL, OF FREDERICKTOWN, OHIO.

WASHING-MACHINE Speccaton of Letters Patent No. 19,911, dated April 13, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY CAssELL, of Fredericktown, in the county of Knox and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Washing-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a side view of my improvement, the tub being bisected vertically through its center. Fig. 2, is a transverse vertical section of do, (m), (m) Fig. 1, showing the plane of section. Fig. 3, is a section of a portion of the driving shaft of the machine. s

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The nature of my improvement consists in the arrangement of mechanism employed for operating the pounders attached to the machine for the purpose of drawing them up suficiently high so that they may be forced against thel clothing being washed sufficiently hard to do good execution in the washing process and at the same time-by which arrangement I obtain a compact machine in its parts for the purposes of operating the pounders.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, represents a platform or bed on which a tub B, is placed, said tub having a spindle or arbor C, passing vertically through its center, the lower end of the spindle being fitted on a center pivot (a), in the platform or bed A, and the upper end fitted in a bearing (b), attached to a cross piece (c), the ends of which are attached to uprights (d), (d), to which the platform or bed A, is attached. The tub consequently is allowed to rotate freely, and the upper Yedge of the tub has teeth (e), formed on it in which a pinion (f), gears. The axis of this pinion is fitted in the lower end of a vertical sliding bar D, which is placed against the inner side of one of the uprights (d), and has a lever E, attached to it, the outer end of said lever being attached or pivoted to said upright (d). The axis of the pinion (f), has a pulley (g), upon it, around which pulley a belt (it), passes, and this belt passes around a pulley on a driving shaft F, the aXis or journals of which are litted in the uprights (d), (al). To one end of the shaft F, or crank G, is attached.

I-I, represents the cover of the tub. This cover is attached to the lower end of a vertical frame I, which is litted between guides attached to cross pieces (Ze), (le), which are secured to the uprights (d), The cover is sustained at the upper part of the tub by a pawl or catch (Z), shown in Fig. 1. The cover is jointed or has flaps (m), connected to a center part (n), by hinges (o), see Fig. 2, the frame I, being attached to the part J, J, are two vertical pounders, the lower ends of which pass through the center part (n), of the cover H. The upper ends of the pounders pass through a cross piece K, which is fitted on tenons (p), on the upper ends of the uprights (d), (el). The cross piece may be raised or lowered on the tenons (7J), and secured at the desired point by pins (g). The upper parts of the pounders have spiral springs (r), upon them, said spring bearing against the cross piece K, and shoulders (s), on the pounders.

To each pounder J, there is attached a strap (t), having a metal hook at its end. These hooks are fitted in groo'ves or recesses (o), made circumferentially in the shaft F, see Figs. 2 and 3. To the shaft F, there are attached four spring catches or lpawls (w), two of which are shown in Fig.

3. The catches or pawls are fitted in grooves in the shaft F. To a cross piece L, which is attached to the uprights (d), (d) there is secured a spring M. This spring projects over the catches or pawls (fw), as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

The operation is as follows: The clothes are placed in the tub B, and a requisite quantity of soap and water is placed therein. The pinion (f), is thrown in gear with the teeth on the upper edge of the tub B. By turning the shaft F, the tub is rotated, the belt (7b), rotating the pinion As the shaft F, rotates the catches or pawls (w), act against the hooks (u), and draw upward or raise the pounders J, J, and as the catches or pawls pass underneath the upper part of the spring M, they are depressed in their grooves and the hooks (u), are liberated,

the pounders being then forced down upon the clothes within the tub B, by the springs (r). The two pounders are operated or raised and lowered alternately, and as the and grooves (b) Vo'n the shaft (F) and these arranged With the hooks (u) for elevating the pounders, and the spring (M) for purposes mentioned in the foregoing specification.

HENRY CASSELL.

Witnesses CHANEY HJLL, Gr. W. SARGENT. 

